Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1977

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Agricultural Extension

Major Professor

Cecil E. Carter, Jr.

Committee Members

Robert S. Dotson, Wayne Flinchum

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between characteristics of soybean producers and their farming operation and their use of recommended management practices and their participation in the Extension Program. Fifty producers were randomly selected from the Fayette County Extension Service's mailing list of all known soybean producers in the county. The "nth" number method of sampling was used to select the producers to be interviewed. An interview schedule was developed and the 50 producers were visited and personally interviewed by the researcher who was also the Assistant Extension Agent. All interviews were made from the period immediately following harvest in 1975 to April 1976. The data were coded and punched on computer cards and computations were made by the University of Tennessee Computer Center. The analysis of variance F test statistic was used to determine the association between each dependent variable and each of the qualitative independent variables. F values which achieved the .05 level of probability were accepted as being statistically significant. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationships between each dependent variable and each of the quantitative independent variables. Findings indicated that neither the producer's major occupation nor his major source of income had significant influence upon the number of Extension contacts which he made. The number of contacts which the soybean producers had with Extension did not significantly influence the use of the nine recommended soybean production practices (i.e., prepared initial seedbed in fall or early spring, fertilized and limed according to soil test, planted soybeans between April 15 and June 15, planted a variety(s) recommended for 1975, used the recommended seeding rate, used inoculant on seeds on land where soybeans have not been grown in 3-5 years, treated seed with molybdenum when grown on soils with a pH of 6.5 or below or first year limestone was applied, used herbicides according to recommendations, harvested beans when the moisture was between 12 percent and 13.5 percent). Also, the number of contacts which the soybean producers made with Extension did not significantly influence their use of other soybean production and marketing practices. However, it was found that producers who frequently contacted the Extension Agents also contacted other available sources of information. There were definite correlations between size and Extension participation and age of producer and Extension participation. Those producers who farmed larger acreages made a significantly greater number of Extension contacts than the smaller producers. Also, as the producer's age increased, the number of contacts he made with Extension decreased significantly.

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